Cato's Victory
by HitThePost
Summary: A short story describing an alternate ending to The Hunger Games. This contradicts Catching Fire and Mockingjay, so be MAD.


Cato's Survival

Peeta slammed Cato into the side of the Cornucopia as Katniss struggled for breath. Cato was bleeding heavily from one sied of his face, and Peeta was fighting a losing battle. As Peeta fell, Cato drew his dagger, a malevolent smile etched upon his face. He clasped his dagger in his right hand confidently, a sure kill in front of him. He crouched down over Peeta and calmly slit his throat.

Back in District 12, Peeta's family, along with Primrose and Katniss' mother, burst into tears. They had not expected Peeta to get this far in the Games, only to die. They stared distantly at the screen, displaying a close-up view of Peeta's lifeless body. A cannon shot erupted out of the mega speakers surrounding the big screen. The crowd gathered in District 12's town square were silenced. One brave man lifted his arm an formed the Mockingjay gesture. The crowd copied this, and Peeta's family were touched. The crowd looked pitifully at Peeta's mother. She held her head in her hands. Prim patted her on the back. "I'm so sorry," she said. The moment seemed to last an eternity; it was as if it was going by in slow motion. All of a sudden, the crowd gasped. Their attention was now directed to the screen.

Cato had laughed evilly as he stood up, crimson blood dripping from his dagger. Katniss was only just standing, wielding her bow now as some kind of melee weapon. She knew she was hopeless at any form of combat other than archery, and hoped Cato would make her death quick. However, she had put him through a lot, and he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

Cato quickly leaped at Katniss, brandishing his dagger. She quickly dived out of the way, the blade of Cato's dagger missing her by inches. She squealed in pain: her bow had caught her shoulder, ripping the skin off her back. Blood was already beginning to show through her thin clothing. Cato, however, stood up effortlessly and knocked Katniss over with a simple right hook. She fell hard, the wind knocked out of her. Cato laughed again. She kicked and struggled, but Cato quickly held her firmly, and ran the tip of his dagger from the top of her knee, down to her shin. She screamed loudly as blood poured from her wound. "There," he spat. "I bet lover boy misses you already".

Katniss screamed curses at him, but he shrugged and turned away. "You should mind your language, Girl on Fire. You know, there are little kids watching us right now. Although, I doubt they will enjoy watching their favourite die slowly and painfully. That's right- I'm not going to do anything else; just watch you bleed. I'm going to bleed you white. I'm going to bleed you until the cannon goes. I'm almost tempted to kill you now, just so I can get out of this bloody arena sooner. Nah, I'm going to enjoy watching you die."

District 12 were all turned away in horror. Their only hope was now in the hands of this brutal District 2 boy, who had no intention of letting her live. Primrose and her mother had already scarpered, their door slammed shut, curtains drawn. The sobs were already emanating from their house. They were not far away from the square, and they could still hear Katniss screaming, crying, begging...

Cato was sat confidently on the top of the Cornucopia. Katniss had edged herself away from the edge, to ensure the snarling mutts below couldn't reach her and give her a more painful death. For hours he had been sitting there, staring, smiling. She knew he was out for revenge; she had, after all, dropped a nest of angry bees on his face. She was dying; she felt weak. Her blood was still dribbling out of her gaping wound, forming a pool of warm, crimson liquid close to Cato's feet. He spat at her and kicked her leg. Katniss let out the most ear-shattering scream and Cato silenced her with a boot to the head. "It's a shame to say goodbye like this, Girl on Fire," he said. "But your voice is so irritating".

In her unconsciousness, Katniss felt a strange warmth engulf her. She embraced it.

She was in an eternal sleep.

A cannon shot echoed across the arena, and Cato stood up and shouted happily as a hovercraft lifted him to safety.

Three weeks later

Cato sat in the chair he had sat in almost two months before; facing Caesar Flickerman and an applauding Capitol audience. Caesar was smiling, shoving a microphone into Cato's face. "So Cato,"he said in his deep voice. "Many are saying you were cruel towards Katniss in her final hours. What do you have to say?"

"I honestly couldn't care less. As I always say, revenge is a dish best served cold; I figure that my actions were only as revenge. She had almost killed me in that arena- I did what I did, it can't be reversed."

"Ah,"said Caesar. "Spoken like a true victor. Oh wait, you are!" the crowd erupted into laughter. Even President Snow allowed himself a quick chuckle.

The interview lasted about thirty minutes, followed by a three- hour film showing the highlights of the Hunger Games and, of course, the time leading up to Cato's victory. Everyone erupted into applause and Cato stood up, waved to the audience, and left. He was only a short train ride away from his new home in the District 2 Victor's Village.


End file.
